This is what I took pictures of Ojika island

Welcome to Ojika island in future, maybe soon

This is what I took pictures of Ojika island

Please check of instagram call sashimijapan

Would you like to try cutting fish or dressing a fish in Ojika island?

1. Got rid of scales

2. Took out the internal organs

3. Filleted a fish

Our chef Ume

He will open Ume's kitchen in Shimayado Goen
https://www.shimayadogoen.com/

If you interested about Ume's kitchen

Please check of instagram call sashimijapan

Morning Bakery Adventure to CojiCoji Pan in Ojika, Nagasaki

こじこじ (CojiCoji) means "walking distance" in Japanese, which is an adorable namesake for the local bakery on the small island of Ojika in Nagasaki. In a collection of ancient Japanese buildings which look like they haven't changed in a millennia, the bright yellow curtains and cute logo of this small bakery breathes young life into a traditional village. A creative touch here at CojiCojiPan is that the bread doesn't contain any egg or dairy products, but still is absolutely tasty.

Every morning fresh bread is baked early, and locals are quick to walk to get their breakfast. The owner of this bakery wakes up at 4:30 AM every day to start the ovens and have the fresh offerings available right at 6:30 AM. On my journey to the bakery and subsequent warm experience inside, I noticed many locals coming in to make sure they get their treats before the bakery completely runs out. Frequently this bakery closes early due to completely selling out before noon!

I have been to this bakery a few times now. The first time I stumbled upon it and happened to arrive in the afternoon when fresh cheese buns had just come out of the oven. The buns were absolutely delicious and the stretchy cheese added a tasty touch.

The second time I went there early in the morning I selected two sweet buns, 'Murasaki Anpan,' filled with purple sweet potato, and a bun with cranberries and white chocolate! Then, on my latest trip I selected the purple sweet potato Anpan again (because it was so incredibly delicious) and tried out the curry pan!

The curry pan is a delicacy in Japan and features sweet curry inside of some dough. This version of the bun was a bit different, as it was chewy and baked bread instead of the standard more oily fried dough, and it made for a yummy change of pace.

My friend Megumi and I went to Coji Coji Pan before her early 7 AM departure on the ferry. Having some tasty bread and watching a gorgeous sunrise was an absolutely perfect send-off for a wonderful friend.

An Afternoon of Imagawayaki and Community at Ojika Farmer's Market

Yesterday Ojika had a fun farmer's market featuring locals selling their vegetables, creating tasty sweet treats, and many stalls with amazing lunch options. In addition, talented artists sold their jewellery, knitted hats, and a few spots had second hand clothing available. We got to enjoy some interesting entertainment, lots of food, and enter a drawing for some great prizes!

Have you ever tried Imagawayaki? Imagawayaki is a tasty dessert that is commonly found in Japan at festivals, or as street food. Similar to Japanese delicacies like Taiyaki and Dorayaki, this treat is made in a special pan in which pancake dough is added. Then, a small dollop of either red bean or white bean paste is put into the center, before a second layer of pancake dough is added on top. Then, the two halves cook together and create a steamy little cake that is filled with sweet deliciousness!

We tried a few Imagawayaki and also had some delicious sweet potato fries. Some other treats we tried were some fried ebi (shrimp), fried chicken, a tuna sandwich, and some tomato soup.

Before I left, I grabbed two sweet potatoes that had been slow roasted in an large oven right at the festival for only 100 yen. I ate one right there, while sitting on the ground and watching the prize drawing at the end of the event, and it was absolutely perfectly cooked and all gooey inside. I saved the second one for my breakfast the next day!

We didn't end up winning anything at the raffle but it was wonderful to watch the locals jump up, excited, when their name was called out on stage and they got to come and take their winnings back to their seat with huge smiles on their faces.

After the festival, we had an enjoyable twenty minute walk back to the main city center and had a coffee at Otoya, a small shop run by a jazz musician with an artistic and inspiring ambience to close off our afternoon. The shop, normally quiet in the afternoon, was hustling and bustling with locals having a Sunday outing after the exciting festivities. All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful day!

Would you like to eat the best sashimi in Japan?

Do you like to eat Sashimi in Japan?

The best place to eat sashimi is shimayado Goen in Ojika island Nagasaki, Japan

Please take look our beautiful sashimi

Our chef make great assorted sashimi, and fish cutting demonstration

How nice and look great!

Would you like to try it, please visit our INN call Shimayado Goen
https://www.shimayadogoen.com/

Amazing experiences and food in Ojika island

what I took pictures of sunset in Ojika island

No life No try

Today good chance to see sunset

I saw good sky and clear weather, OK

Time to take a pictures of sunset in Ojika island.

When I got Kuroshima island from 1 min by car

How beautiful sunset was

Glad I was born, living on Ojika island.

OK this is what I took pictures of sunset in Ojika island

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.

It's raining day today in Ojika island 2018 11/21

This year of winter is pretty warm, compare last a few years

Right now temperature of Ojika island is 14 degree

It's time to come for fishing, walking, biking, cycling in Ojika island!

I will help you whatever you want to try it in Ojika island

Please text me shimayadogoen@gmail.com

Taiyo Iwanaga

Writing my First Japanese Haiku in Ojika, Nagasaki

I went to the Ojika Arts and Culture festival thinking I'd be seeing a few performances and looking at some art, but little did I know, I'd be using Japanese in a way I'd never even realised I could. Haiku are Japanese poems that are organised in a '5, 7, 5' syllable structure that aim to capture an image of a moment in time with vivid yet simple descriptions. Throughout my life I've written a lot of haiku in English, but even after a year or two of study it seemed a bit daunting to write one in Japanese.  So, when I was helped along by a few locals with the specificities and a theme (the fall season, apples, leaves, etc.) I dived into the creative process of writing a haiku in Japanese. We wrote them on long strips of paper, in pencil and then pen to make sure we didn't make any mistakes. 

My first inspiration was the apple! Apple, or りんご "Ringo" in Japanese reminded me immediately of a quirky cat here who is named after the fruit, and happens to not have a top lip. So, my first haiku played off the cat, and his namesake.

黒い猫 "Black cat" 

りんごとりんご "Apple and Apple" 

美味しいよ "So delicious" 

Then, I was assisted by a local man and woman who explained that it's best in a haiku to focus on colors, images, vivid ideas that contrast, and have some motion. The man told me it would be smart to have the cat interacting with the apple! So, as a result, this haiku was my second creation:

あさひかり "Bright morning"

りんごとあそぶ "Playing with an apple"

くろいねこ "Black cat"

This haiku really inspired me, because it helped me understand the basic idea behind writing haiku in Japan. That in such a short collection of words, you can truly conjure up a scene that the reader can see inside their minds. So, on the walk home with my friend Megumi I told her that I was thinking about writing these poems more often to practice my Japanese. I thought of the transition to winter and the colors and ideas that create the idea of this chilly season in my head. I thought of the color grey, crisp cold air, clouds, and as a result thought of another funny cat here in Ojika who I've lovingly named "Grumpy." 

This is because, at first I thought he was a bit gruff and scary and not friendly due to his rather grumpy looking expression. However, after coming up a few times to say hello to him I realised that he just looks that way and is actually quite a friendly and cuddly fellow! So, I ended up writing a third haiku on our walk home.

さむいかぜ "Cold wind"

ガラムピのかお "Grumpy face"

くもってる "Cloudy"

So, after a short while of learning about the art of creating haiku in Japan, I'm thoroughly inspired. I find that writing a haiku about a moment I want to remember is a beautiful way to vividly capture a memory that can later be experienced through all my senses, and take me right back to the time it was happening. This 'grey' haiku about the transition to winter for example, will always be there to transport me back to my morning walks to the Ojika Shimayado Inn featuring many head pats for Grumpy the cat. 

Now, I'm finding myself thinking up haiku about sudden lovely moments in my day. I'm sure it will help me in my Japanese learning journey, and create a fantastic bank of memories for me to look back on for years to come. 

Hot pot is Nabe in Japanese, Sashimi! Let's try to eat them in Ojika island.

How beautiful sunrise again in Ojika island Nagasaki, Japan

Today our meal is Nabe in Japanese which is hot pot, specially during winter time we prefer to eat it

We can put on a lot of vegetables, fish, meat and more and more.

Whatever you like to put on

Please come to eat Naba in Japan.

Ojika island is the best place to eat fresh fish, call sashimi too

Our kitchen staff also make great dish of sashimi our dinner.

So tasty

I hope we will meet, and try to eat specially meal of Ojika island